WOOD & Company Acquires Czech Investment Company From Credit Suisse

WOOD & Company is proud to announce the successful acquisition of Credit Suisse's investment business in the Czech Republic.

As of November 16, the company previously known as CREDIT SUISSE ASSET MANAGEMENT investiční společnost, a.s. will now be called WOOD & Company investiční společnost, a.s. As part of the deal, the company has moved into the offices of WOOD & Company at the Palladium palace. The investment funds managed in the Czech Republic will be rebranded shortly.

In closing this transaction, WOOD & Company has not only assumed the management of property worth approx. CHF 500 million (i.e., approx. CZK 8.5 billion), but also the obligation to further build on the company's history of success and to develop new attractive services and products that are tailored to the client's needs. Following the acquisition, the total of assets managed by WOOD & Co. in individual investment categories reached about CZK 11 billion. "Our top priority is to maintain quality care for existing clients and to keep their trust", says Jan Sýkora, CEO and Chairman of the Board of WOOD & Company, a.s. The first fundamental step towards development and integration has been to bolster the existing team of investment professionals by appointing Jaroslav Krabec, Ph.D., CFA, to Head of Investment and at the same time to Chairman of the Board. Jaroslav Krabec has transferred to WOOD & Company from ING Investment Management (CR) where he was also a board member and, among other things, was at the helm of what was the most successful equity fund in the Czech market for a period of six years.

The cooperation between WOOD & Company and the Credit Suisse Group will continue, as WOOD & Company will be in charge of distributing the investment products of the latter in the Czech and Slovak Republics. A new website, www.woodfondy.cz, which provides comprehensive information on the products and services offered by the investment company and the foreign investment funds of Credit Suisse, ensures continuity of information.

WOOD & Company, the leading investment bank in the region of Central and Eastern Europe, is owned for the most part by its local partners, Chairman of the Board Jan Sýkora, Andrea Ferancová, Vladimír Jaroš, and Lubomír Šoltýs. Headquartered in Prague, the firm has gained over its 15 years of existence, a deep understanding of the markets of the new EU countries. WOOD & Co provides its international and domestic clients with top quality investment banking and stock-broking services.

WOOD & Company investiční společnost, a.s., formerly the Czech branch office of Credit Suisse, avails of a team of experts who have been committed to the management of investment funds for retail and institutional clients and to asset management for institutional clients for more than fifteen years. A well-performing and well-established team, know-how, and the existing portfolio of products: these were the main reasons for WOOD & Co.'s acquisition of Credit Suisse Asset Management.

For further information, please do not hesitate to contact us:
David Šimoník, Media Representative of WOOD & Co
Tel: +420 774 280 831
Email: david.simonikrelativepr.cz